"ROAR!"
Realizing that death was certain, the Abyss Walker chose to play along. It curled its enormous, mangled body inside the vine cage, regenerating itself and gathering strength right before Mu and Ye Chen, letting out a series of shrill, chilling, beastlike growls.
The ever-rising Abyss Power turned into a murky black mist that seeped through the gaps in the cage, spread into the surrounding air, and slowly drifted toward the youth.
At that moment, the eerie black fog seemed to conceal countless greedy insects. A murky, hair-raising buzz sounded beside Ye Chen's ears, while the mist itself surged toward his limbs and torso like tentacles, attempting to bore into his skin pores and corrode every bone in his body.
However, Ye Chen merely darkened his gaze, and dense Auling Power immediately surged from the surface of his body, forming an energy film that covered him. All Abyss Power that dared approach him instantly vanished into thin air.
The tempering of the second Nightmare had already transformed Ye Chen beyond recognition. The aura of a mere crippled native creature of the Abyss was no longer enough to pose even the slightest threat to him.
Ye Chen stood ten meters beyond the cage, watching the Abyss Walker cunningly gather its strength within. He said nothing and waited quietly.
Ye Chen believed Mu would never make him face an opponent he could not possibly defeat, so he felt not the slightest impatience at his enemy's actions.
And just as Ye Chen had expected, the Abyss Walker's buildup lasted only half a minute. Mu, observing from behind, raised his redwood cane and dismissed the vine cage that had been "protecting" the Abyss Walker.
Thus, as the tangible vines dissolved into energy particles and vanished into thin air, the Abyss Walker's massive three-meter-tall body